Box Office: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST scores biggest ever March opening

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast remake, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, was unsurprisingly a phenomenal success this weekend, earning the biggest-ever March opening and the largest debut for a PG release. It’s also the biggest domestic opening for a Walt Disney Pictures live-action title.

The film earned $170m domestically over the 3 days– that beats Batman v Superman‘s $166m last year, the previous record holder. Beauty also took $180m overseas, for a total $350m global haul– the second-biggest March debut outside the US. It earned $22.8m in the UK and $44.8m in China. It has yet to open in France, Australia and Japan.

Beauty and the Beast had a $160m budget.

‘Twas Beauty killed the Beast, asWarner Brothers’ Kong: Skull Island dropped to second place with $28.9m for a domestic total of $110.1m. Its global total is $259.3m so far, on a $185m budget.

Logan dropped to third place, with $524m worldwide so far. The R-rated Wolverine drama was made for $97m.

Danny Boyle’s T2 Trainspotting finally arrived in the US in five locations, earning $180,000. It has grossed $34m overseas so far, including $21m in the UK.